The Effects of Textisms on Learning, Study Time, and Instructional Perceptions in an Online Artificial Intelligence Instructional Module

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of textisms (i.e., abbreviated spellings, acronyms, and other shorthand notations) on learning, study time, and instructional perceptions in an online artificial intelligence instructional module. The independent variable in this investigation was experimental condition. For the control condition, all paragraphs in the online instructional module were written in Standard English. For the treatment condition, all paragraphs in the online instructional module were written in a mixture of Standard English and commonly used textisms. The six dependent variables in this investigation were learning, study time, likeability, confusability, trustworthiness, and professionalism. The subjects consisted of 106 American undergraduate students from a small, Midwestern, coeducational, liberal arts college. The results of the two-sample t-tests indicate that the use of textisms in online instructional materials 1) does not affect learning, 2) does not affect study time, 3) does affect likeability negatively, 4) does not affect confusability, 5) does not affect trustworthiness, and 6) does affect professionalism negatively. The results of the correlation/regression analyses suggest statistically significant correlations/influences between 1) learning and study time, 2) study time and instant messaging time, 3) likeability and trustworthiness, 4) likeability and instant messaging time, and 5) trustworthiness and professionalism. All findings are discussed and implications for practice are presented.